UFC 142's Sam Stout doubtful that Thiago Tavares will trade punches

Five months after the untimely death of his trainer and brother-in-law, Shawn Tompkins, the 27-year-old fighter listens to several voices as he engages a sparring partner.

Before, he had to rely on only one.

“As much as I wish he was here every day, it’s been a good camp,” Stout recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I’ve really found a strength inside myself to be a little more self-motivated and be a little more independent, as opposed to relying on Shawn to tell me what to do.”

Stout (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) plans to bring longtime teammate Mark Hominick and a jiu-jitsu coach to his fight with Thiago Tavares (16-4-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) at UFC 142, which takes place Saturday at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view, and the prelims, including Stout’s bout, air on FX.

Stout’s trio of strategizers has assembled a game plan that relies, unsurprisingly, on keeping the fight on its feet. But when punches come a certain way, or someone leaves an opening for a hook or kick, Stout still hears Tompkins’ voice. It’s impossible not to; he was in a teenager when they first trained together.

“Sometimes I see those same holes open up in people, and I think of him,” Stout said. “It’s tough, but it’s a learning process, and I’m going to get through it.”

Stout withdrew from a fight at UFC 137 to clear his head after Tompkins’ passing this past August. He’s now able to envision the Tavares fight without distraction, and what he sees doesn’t include Tavares standing and trading punches.

“I picture him trying to take me down, to be honest,” he said. “I think he’s going to be coming forward and shooting and shooting, and I’ve been preparing a lot for that. Obviously, I’ve been doing tons of striking as well – that’s my forte. But I’ve been preparing to keep a really fast pace.

“I don’t think there’s any big secret as to what his game plan is going to be. I doubt he’s going to stand with me and do a three-round standup war. I think that would end badly for him.”

Stout knocked Yves Edwards out cold with an overhand right in his most recent appearance at UFC 131. Tompkins saw the opening and called for the punch, and boom, the fight was over in the first round.

Tavares has twice fallen prey to big punches in his time with the UFC; first, against Matt Wiman at UFC 85 and most recently against Shane Roller at UFC on Versus 3. Both encounters turned the lights out.

Of course, the fight has to remain on its feet. Stout will have a limited time to find those openings, and two people shouting instructions at him outside the cage.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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